Kimono thumbnail 1
Kimono thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On short term loan out for exhibition

Kimono

1840-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The fabric of this kimono was probably woven in Echigo (present day Niigata), a mountainous area in north-west Japan famous for cloth such as this. The pattern was created with a technique known as 'kasuri', which involves the binding of certain sections of yarn prior to dyeing. When the skein is dipped in the dye bath the colour does not penetrate the bound areas, creating a yarn that is partly white and partly coloured. A pattern, here of chrysanthemums and hatched lines, then emerges as the cloth is woven. The woman who wore this kimono may have lived in Echigo. However, it is equally likely that she lived in Edo, Kyoto, Osaka or some other city, for kasuri kimono were very fashionable among urban women in the 19th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ramie, resist-dyed
Brief description
Ramie kimono, kasuri, chrysanthemum design, Ojiya, Niigata (prefecture), Japan, 1840-1900
Physical description
Unlined summer kimono of plain weave ramie, woven with selectively pre-dyed yarns (kasuri) with a pattern of chrysanthemums interspersed with small dashes.
Dimensions
  • Length: 142cm
  • Width: 127cm
Gallery label
  • Sumptuary laws issued during the Edo period prohibited the use of particular fabrics, techniques and dyes. The edicts were not consistently enforced, nor indeed particularly effective. However, they did lead to changes in style and taste. Kimono associated with rural Japan, and made from fabric patterned in the kasuri technique, became popular among fashionable city dwellers. (29/02/2020)
  • Kimono for a woman 1850–1900 This kimono was made using the kasuri technique. Sections of yarn were tightly bound before being immersed in the indigo dye bath. The colour did not penetrate the protected areas, resulting in thread that was partly white and partly blue. The design then emerged as the cloth was woven. Kasuri kimono were fashionable among 19th-century city dwellers. Ojiya, Niigata prefecture Hemp woven with selectively pre-dyed yarns (kasuri) Museum no. T.329-1960 (04/11/2015)
Production
Ojiya
Subject depicted
Summary
The fabric of this kimono was probably woven in Echigo (present day Niigata), a mountainous area in north-west Japan famous for cloth such as this. The pattern was created with a technique known as 'kasuri', which involves the binding of certain sections of yarn prior to dyeing. When the skein is dipped in the dye bath the colour does not penetrate the bound areas, creating a yarn that is partly white and partly coloured. A pattern, here of chrysanthemums and hatched lines, then emerges as the cloth is woven. The woman who wore this kimono may have lived in Echigo. However, it is equally likely that she lived in Edo, Kyoto, Osaka or some other city, for kasuri kimono were very fashionable among urban women in the 19th century.
Bibliographic reference
J.Earle (editor), 'Japanese art and design: the Toshiba gallery', (V&A, 1986) p.170
Collection
Accession number
T.329-1960

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
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